Liverpool is already counting the cost of the new-look international break with injuries to Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo raising concerns for Andoni Iraola
Liverpool Manager Andoni Iraola during the UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola will be sweating over the fitness of his players throughout this international break(Image: Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
The 2026/27 season has only just begun, yet here we are in the midst of the first international break of the campaign in what has felt like absolutely no time.
Of course, the World Cup has played its part in the significant number of international fixtures this year, but this window in particular is the first to fall under FIFA's reconfigured calendar. That makes it longer than any other mid-season break we've experienced before.
Typically, there would be five international breaks every season. Three in autumn and winter, with one each in September, October and November, followed by the final break in March and one after domestic football concludes in June. Under the new rules, the season will only be disrupted three times, with this first break of the campaign running a week longer.
It also means national teams will play four games in total, as opposed to the usual two. While we may be grateful for these new rules when things are not disrupted in October, it's difficult to see the benefits when Liverpool, among other clubs, is already experiencing the drawbacks in terms of injuries.
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The list of injuries keeps growing and many nations still have two or three games left to play. Eyebrows were first raised when Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe withdrew from the France squad with a knee injury, although fortunately for him and his club, it is not thought to be too serious.
Liverpool itself is now suffering with two injuries picked up in recent days. First, star striker Alexander Isak was forced to withdraw from the Sweden squad after its opening win over Romania, in which he was on the scoresheet.
There has been some contradictory reporting over the injury itself. He was seen limping through the mixed zone midweek with a bleeding toe after a stamp on his foot. However, Sweden manager Graham Potter gave the reason as a minor thigh issue when addressing the media on Sunday.
Regardless, Andoni Iraola will be left sweating over the fitness of his talisman, who has enjoyed a productive start to the campaign with four goals and one assist so far. Not least because his only suitable backup in Hugo Ekitike is sidelined until at least the new year as he continues his recovery from an Achilles injury.
Matters have certainly gone from bad to worse, though, as Cody Gakpo also fell victim to injury during the Netherlands' second Nations League game of the break against Serbia. After a series of tackles in the first half of the match, the Dutchman was forced off in the 17th minute with an apparent ankle problem.
Alexander Isak of Sweden runs during a FIFA World Cup match
Alexander Isak has withdrawn from the Sweden squad with a thigh injury(Image: Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Again, the extent of the injury is not yet known. But with Liverpool's lack of options in forward areas as it is, and given Gakpo's equally strong start to the season, Iraola could do without losing another of his attackers before such a crucial fixture against Manchester City in two weeks' time.
Even where international managers, notably Jurgen Klopp, have tried to be considerate when managing players' loads, circumstances have conspired against Liverpool. The former Reds boss has called up 44 players in total across two separate squads, with each set to play two of the games.
Florian Wirtz was initially named in the second squad for the matches against Serbia and Greece. However, an injury to Arsenal 's Kai Havertz in Germany's opening game against the Netherlands meant the Liverpool man joined up with his teammates early and has been named on the bench for Sunday's first clash with Greece. So much for giving him a rest, eh?
The one boost, you could say, that Liverpool has received this break is that goalkeeper Alisson was left out of Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil squad. The 33-year-old endured a handful of injuries last season and had to manage himself toward the back end of the campaign to ensure his fitness for the World Cup, with that seemingly now repaid as the Brazil boss prioritized younger players for this international break.
While it goes without saying that everyone will be grateful for one less disruption in October during a busy period, the new format has done little to reduce or minimize the load on players. The sheer number of injuries suffered already, with the window barely up and running, more than attests to that.
In the meantime, supporters, as well as Iraola and his coaching staff, will be watching on with a degree of fear for the remainder of the international break. One further setback, especially a serious one to a key player, could all but derail what has been a reasonably strong start to the season for the new head coach.